Four student. Furthermore, a child’s
unique abilities will vary. How
you support your child will change
as they grow and improve. Early
primary school learners will need to
be supported through all stages of the
writing process, for example, whilst
later primary learners may be able
to complete some or all of the stages
independently.
Power principles
One of the best ways to help is by
teaching and encouraging your child
to manage their time. As adults,
we already know how to break
complex tasks down into manageable
segments, and we can teach our
children to utilise a similar strategy
with their written assignments.
There are many different
techniques you can use, but I like
the “POWER pencil”. In this case,
“POWER” refers to Planning,
Organising, Writing, Editing and Re-
writing. The aim is to teach children
a process of writing with five separate
tasks that culminate in a finished and
edited piece. Each segment can be
put on a calendar or in a school diary
so that assignments are completed
on time with minimal rushing. By
breaking down the big task into
smaller chunks you are also providing
your child with opportunities to
concentrate on high-level language
skills, such as generating and
organising ideas. Many studies
have shown that a student’s written
language skills will improve with the
use of procedural techniques.
In addition to using the POWER
pencil method, you can support
your child’s written language skills
by encouraging them to think about
the purpose of their writing and how
this purpose is reflected in the way
they organise their thoughts and the
language they use. For example, the
purpose of writing a journal entry is
very different from that of a report
or a story. In a journal, you expect to
read about an event that has occurred
in the past; in a report, you expect
to read facts about a topic; in a story,
you expect to be entertained.
By the same token, you would
anticipate the layout of the various
types of writing to be different and
the language used to change as well.
In journal writing, you might start
by setting the scene providing “wh”
question answers (when, who, what,
where, why), then follow this with a
sequence of events related to the scene
being written about, and complete
it with a statement about how you
felt at the end of the events. As a
consequence, you would be writing
in the past tense, using names of
specific people and places, including
sequences words (first, next, last) and
perhaps some emotion words as well.
However, in report writing, you
might start by putting your topic in its
wider context. If your topic is frogs,
for example, the wider context would
be amphibians/animals. Then you
might give information related to
various features of your topic (such as
a frog’s appearance, habitat, diet or
breeding). Since you are giving facts
about a topic, you would likely write
in the present tense, include some
technical language, and avoid giving
your personal opinion.
Conversely, in a story, you might
start with details and descriptions
about your characters and setting
before moving on to describe how
your characters get involved in a
problem, what complications arise
and how they are resolved. Your
language is going to be much more
descriptive and is likely to include
some conversation, and your
complication will aim to be exciting
and enthralling.
Filling the gaps
These are just three examples of
different writing styles, but there
are many more, all of which have
their own structures and associated
language features. If you are unsure
about the purpose of your child’s
assignments or the layout that the
school prefers, make time to talk to
their teacher. The more you know
about the expectations for your child’s
writing, the more you will be able to
help them.
Another avenue of support you
can offer your kids is to focus on
developing specific skills that may
be lacking at a “whole text” level.
This is where reading the comments
provided by your child’s teacher
at the end of each assignment is
crucial, as it will highlight what areas
might need a bit more work. Has the
teacher picked your child up for not
paying attention to paragraphs, for
example, or neglecting to edit their
work resulting in poor spelling? Or
perhaps they have suggested that their
use of descriptive language could
be improved? Again, check with the
teacher if you’re not sure where your
child’s skills need the most attention
and development.
Remember, the assignment is
your child’s, not yours. While it might
seem helpful, or certainly easier at
the eleventh hour, jumping in and
writing the assignment yourself is not
the answer. Writing is a key life skill
and letting your child learn how to
do it well now will serve them well for
years to come.
power
Planning
Organising
Writing
Editing
Re-writing
December 2013
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